I have to confess. I’m an addict.
An email and social media addict. As the Chief Escape Officer (or CEO) for Moreton Island Adventures, I look at my phone when I wake up and throughout the day until I go to sleep. If my phone is there I will check it and, often my husband and I are sitting across from each other both engrossed in our phones; it really kills the conversation. That’s why I decided that the only way for me to “dry out“ is to go somewhere that makes it difficult to feed the addiction – off the grid.
So I began my search. I traveled far and wide including safaris in Africa and 5* hotels in Paris searching for this place that I could truly escape the grind. But I usually had to drive a long way, or check in at an airport which kind of killed the “relaxation” part of the escape. It was around then that I happened upon this new option of Glamping, short for “glamourous camping”.
I found Glamping to be the best of both worlds, that escape from reality that Camping gives us (what is more heart-warming than toasting marshmallows around the fire…really??), without the drudgery of unpacking and washing all the camp gear – and with a comfy queen bed with proper linen and a doona!
I already knew the perfect location as we had old units situated on Moreton Island that I was wanting to upgrade. So in 2012, instead of building a soulless resort where people don’t truly engage with each other or their environment, I decided to build 9 Glamping tents (now expanded to 11 due to their popularity) in amongst the tea trees at Bulwer. Here at the Glamping tents, people are able to have the camping experience, but without all the hassle. You still have the comradery of meeting people in the “glampsite” as the on-site kitchen & firepit are communal. Since then I haven’t stayed in our unit accommodation at all, as I love the style of the Glamping and being able to listen to the birds as I lay in bed of a morning.
When you take a look at the glamping options around Brisbane, it’s amazing how close you can be to a destination that really does get you talking to each other, listening to one another and maybe doing a little bit more of the fun stuff as well, if you get my drift. They are mostly off the beaten track, so no or little mobile service. They have the luxury of your bedroom but so much different to your house, it’s more like a romantic cubby. They are often made just for couples and they are small intimate places where romance can flourish.
Since we have built our tents, others have popped up around Brisbane and the hinterland for couples and my goal is to sample every one of them that is “off the grid”. So if you have now concluded that you too are an “addict” do yourself a favour and dry out by going Glamping off the beaten track where the phone coverage is poor, the restaurants are few and your other half has only you in their sights.